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Work Title
KHIPU computador prehispánico electrotextil
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Work Title（EN）
KHIPU ELECTROTEXTILE PREHISPANIC COMPUTER
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Please describe the concept of your artwork in 2000 words.
Durante el Imperio Inca existió un dispositivo de registro de información llamado khipu. En este sistema, la información era anudada en cuerdas y codificada en valores numéricos, siguiendo un sistema binario y decimal. Constan de una cuerda principal, sin nudos, de la cual se desprenden cuerdas subsidiarias con nudos de diferentes formas, colores y tamaños. Estas cuerdas esconden una significación que trasciende el plano aritmético y narran una serie de relatos sobre una antigua civilización. De cierto modo, se plantea que los Khipus, eran libros, con un sistema alfanumérico que servía como dispositivo mnemotécnico para recordar hechos acontecidos. Sin embargo, los khipus son sistemas contenedores de varias capas de memoria. Incluyen datos físicos, biológicos, sociales, económicos, históricos, lingüísticos, siendo así de lógica holística: su interpretación es más compleja que una simple suma de sus elementos. Es por esto, que los khipu actualmente son considerados como computadores ecológicos prehispánicos.
Estos computadores eran hechos con materiales orgánicos tales como piedras, lana, fibras vegetales, cerámicas, semillas e inclusive el cuerpo humano mismo es parte de este sistema de cómputo: los dedos de las manos y de los pies codifican y el cerebro del usuario procesa la información. La importancia de los khipus radica en su significación cósmica trascendental y la actual preservación de la sabiduría transmitida desde nuestros pueblos originarios.
En la actualidad, al igual que en los khipus, los sistemas de cómputo procesan la información mediante sistema binario, siendo el Bit (Binary digIT) la unidad mínima de información. Hay estudios que señalan la importancia del factor físico en la producción manual de los khipus, a un grado tal que, para poder entender su codificación, y tener una comprensión general de este dispositivo, habría que tener la experiencia de manufacturarlo.
En julio del 2017 en la Ciudad de México, un grupo de cinco mujeres conformamos un laboratorio experimental de creación, llamado “Computación textil y sonificación de espectros”, con el fin de estudiar los signos del Khipu Inca
tradicional y las analogías entre este sistema de nudos y el sistema de codificación binaria actual. Durante el laboratorio desarrollamos un computador electrotextil de código abierto basado en la manufacturación de un khipu astronómico. Este computador consiste en una antena y un circuito electrónico que genera sonido. La mayoría de los khipus fueron quemados por los colonizadores. De los pocos khipus que aún se conservan se desconoce su mensaje pues su código no ha sido descifrado. Por esta razón, la intención principal de nuestro proyecto fue crear una interacción sensible entre las personas con esta antigua tecnología mediante el electromagnetismo y otorgar una voz al khipu a través del sonido. Podemos decir que nuestra obra, es una interpretación artística y sonora sobre la
tecnología y la historia de nuestros antepasados. -
Please describe the concept of your artwork in 2000 words. （EN）
In times of the Inca Empire, an information device system called Khipu emerged. The information was recorded into
cords of cotton or wool and coded in numeric values, according to binary and decimal coding. The Khipu, consists of a principal or primary cord, with no knots, from which other subsidiary cords of different shapes, colors and sizes hang. These threads hide a meaning that trascends the arythmetric plane and they tell stories about an ancient civilization.
Somehow, it is stated that Khipus were books with an alphanumerical system that served as a mnemonic (memory)
device to remember facts. However, Khipus are systems that contain various layers of memory. They include physical,
biological, social, economic, historic and linguistic facts; constructing an entity of holistic logic. Its interpretation is
more complex than the simple reckoning of its individual elements. This is why khipus are considered an ecological
prehispanic computers. These computers where made with organic materials like stones, wool, vegetable fibers, ceramics, seeds. Even the human body is part of this computing system: the fingers and toes codify and the brain of the user processes the information. The importance of khipus lies in its trascendental cosmic significance and the preservation of the wisdom inherited from our originary populations.
Nowadays, as in the Khipus, computer systems process information through a binary system: the Bit (Binary digIT) is the basic information unit.
Some studies state the relevant physical fact in the manufacture of the Khipus, to the point that, in order to undestand its code, and achieve a deep comprehension of this device, it is necessary to manufacture one.
On July 2017, in Mexico City, a group of five women conformed an experimental creation lab called “Textile Computing and Ghost Sonification” (“Computación textil y sonificación de espectros)” with the aim to study the signs of the traditional Inca Khipu and the analogies between this knot system and the contemporary bynary coding system.
As result of the laboratory, we created an electrotextile opensource computer, through the manufacturing of an
astronomic khipu. This textile computer consists of an antenna and an electronic circuit that generates sound.
Most of the khipus were burned by the colonizers. Of the few khipus that still exist their message is unknown because their code has not been figured out. That is why the main intention of the project was to create a sensible interaction between people and this ancient technology through electromagnetism and to grant voice to the khipu through sound. We can say that our work is an artistic and sonic interpretation about the technology and history of our ancestors. -
Work Specification
DESCRIPCIÓN TÉCNICA E INTERACCIÓN DE LA OBRA
Khipu es una instalación sonora electromagnética textil. Esta instalación es una antena de unos 6 metros de díametro
que se compone de 180 cuerdas. Cada cuerda tiene entre 3 y 5 metros de largo, naciendo de una cuerda central en forma de arco de 70 centímetro de diámetro. Todas ellas se extienden en forma radial en diferentes direcciones generando la forma de un semicírculo.
Las cuerdas fueron hiladas a mano por nosotras, mezclando hilo de cobre y lana de alpaca. Estas cuerdas contienen
datos (información astronómica) codificados mediante nudos siguiendo el sistema de codificación de los khipu Incas
tradicionales. Estos datos hacen que las cuerdas tengan diferentes características: cantidad de nudos, cantidad de
vueltas del nudo, sentido de la torsión del nudo, posición del nudo en la cuerda.
Las cuerdas del khipu funcionan como un medio conductor eléctrico, ya que están conectados a un circuito que les induce una corriente, produciendo un campo electromagnético a su alrededor. Cada cuerda posee una capacitancia eléctrica* diferente, dependiendo de la cantidad y característica de los nudos que contenga.
La presencia del visitante en la instalación puede interferir en los campos electromagnéticos producidos por la antena
y cambiar la capacitancia eléctrica de las cuerdas. Así como también, otros campos electromagnéticos o energía fantasma circundante pueden causar interferencias (los espectros).
Un circuito electrónico amplifica las señales recibidas desde cada una de las cuerdas que componen la antena. Este
circuito va conectado a un sistema de sonido que audifica la información captada, generando una interpretación sonora de ella. Este sonido es de características similares al ruido blanco y se puede escuchar en el espacio mismo de la instalación.
La obra es de carácter interactivo, podría ser ejecutada por un intérprete, por el mismo público que la visita o simplemente podría interactuar de forma autónoma con las señales electromagnéticas recibidas desde el ambiente.
*En electromagnetismo y electrónica la capacitancia es la propiedad que
tienen los cuerpos para mantener una carga eléctrica. -
Work Specification（EN）
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION AND INTERACTION OF THE ARTWORK
Khipu is an electromagnetic textile sound installation. This installation is an antenna of about six meters diameter
composed of 180 strings. Each string has between three and five meters long, deriving from a central arched string of 70 centimeters diameter. All of them are extended radially in different directions generating the shape of a semicircle.
The strings where spun by hand by us, mixing copper wire and alpaca wool. These strings contain data (astronomic
information) coded into knots following the traditional inca coding system. These data gives different characteristics to the strings: amount of knots, amount of turns of the knot, sense of the torsion of the knot, position of the knot in the string. The strings of the khipu work as an electricity conductive means, since they are connected to a circuit that induces current, producing an electromagnetic field around. Each string has a distinct electrical capacitance* depending on the amount and characteristics of the knots. The presence of the visitor in the installation may interfeer in the electromagnetic fields produced by the antenna and change the electrical capacitance of the strings. Also, other electromagnetic fields or surrounding ghost energy may cause interference (the specters).
An electronic circuit amplofies the received signals from each string that composes the antenna. This circuit is connected to a sound system that audits the received information, generating a sonic interpretation of it. This sound has similar characteristics to white noise and can be heard in the installation space. The work is interactive, it can be played by a performer, the audience or simply acting autonomously with the electromagnetic signals received on the environment.
*In electromagnetism and electronics, the capacitance refers to the property
that bodies have of maintaining an electric charge. -
Media CoverageURL
https://proyectokhipu.wordpress.com/
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Video URL
https://vimeo.com/308572801
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Your OfficialURL (Website, Instagram, Facebook)
https://constanzapinadossier.wordpress.com/ https://corazonderobota.wordpress.com/ https://www.facebook.com/corazon.derobota/ https://www.instagram.com/corazonderobota/
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Please describe how your work relates to the theme of the special prize.
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KHIPU ELECTROTEXTILE PREHISPANIC COMPUTER
Others
The Inca khipu are textile prehispanic devices for recording information, made of cotton or camelid fiber strings that store data coded as knots. The khipu are considered pre-Hispanic ecological computers. These computers were made with organic materials such as stones, wool, vegetable fibers, ceramics, seeds, and even the human body itself is part of the computer system (fingers and toes encode and the user's brain processes the infomation). The importance of these computers lies in the transcendental, cosmic significance and the transmitted wisdom of our native peoples.
This piece is an open-source textile computer based on the manufacture of an astronomical khipu.
The installation of this piece consists of an antenna of about 6 meters in diameter, that is composed of 180 ropes. Each of them were hand-spun from a mixture of copper wire and alpaca wool. These ropes are connected to an electronic circuit that amplifies and sonifies the electromagnetic changes present at the installation site.
The work is presented as an interactive installation that can be used for performance, be played by an audience or simply interact autonomously with the electromagnetic information received from its surrounding environment.
This piece was done for a group of five women in an experimental creation laboratory, called “Textile Computing and Spectrum Sonification”, in order to study the signs of the traditional Inca khipu and the analogies between this system of knots and the current binary coding system.
The information collected into this Khipu includes a spectral classification of the main stars of Bootes, constellation located in the mid sky –zenit- during the dates of the open laboratory.
Most khipus were burned by colonizers, and still today, their code has not yet been deciphered. In this project we create a sensitive interaction with the audience through sound. In this way, Khipu is a sound and arts interpretation of the technology, wisdom and history of our ancestors, meant to express how the universe is governed by harmonious numerical proportions. What we are hearing now is thus the amplification of inaudible Space, the voices of specters visiting the void, a celestial score, the music of the spheres: the voice of silence.
This piece is an open-source textile computer based on the manufacture of an astronomical khipu.
The installation of this piece consists of an antenna of about 6 meters in diameter, that is composed of 180 ropes. Each of them were hand-spun from a mixture of copper wire and alpaca wool. These ropes are connected to an electronic circuit that amplifies and sonifies the electromagnetic changes present at the installation site.
The work is presented as an interactive installation that can be used for performance, be played by an audience or simply interact autonomously with the electromagnetic information received from its surrounding environment.
This piece was done for a group of five women in an experimental creation laboratory, called “Textile Computing and Spectrum Sonification”, in order to study the signs of the traditional Inca khipu and the analogies between this system of knots and the current binary coding system.
The information collected into this Khipu includes a spectral classification of the main stars of Bootes, constellation located in the mid sky –zenit- during the dates of the open laboratory.
Most khipus were burned by colonizers, and still today, their code has not yet been deciphered. In this project we create a sensitive interaction with the audience through sound. In this way, Khipu is a sound and arts interpretation of the technology, wisdom and history of our ancestors, meant to express how the universe is governed by harmonious numerical proportions. What we are hearing now is thus the amplification of inaudible Space, the voices of specters visiting the void, a celestial score, the music of the spheres: the voice of silence.
